Leipzig, 11 February, 2014. The Media Foundation of Sparkasse Leipzig awards the "Axel-Eggebrecht-Prize" 2014 to the feature author Paul Kohl.
"We congratulate Paul Kohl on this deserved award and are happy that a new renowned feature author completes the league of our laureates" says the Foundation's Managing Director Stephan Seeger. "Apart from that, we'd like to express our gratitude to our jury and it's chairman Richard Goll. I congratulate the jury members Richard Goll, Gisela Corves (WDR West German Broadcasting), Dr. Wolfram Wessels (SWR South West German Broadcasting), Linde Rotta and Jens Jarisch (RBB Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting) on this wise decision."
From the jury's decision: His great narrating talent and the wide range of subjects is what makes Paul Kohl’s radio work unique. Since the mid 1980s he has been dealing with historical subjects (Steh auf, es ist Krieg. Vom Überfall auf die Sowjetunion/Stand up, we're at war. About the German invasion of the Soviet Union, 1986); biographies (Der Fall Herbert Häber. Vom Politbüro in die Psychiatrie/The Herbert Häber case. From East German Politburo to psychiatry, 1999); contemporary history (Wer ermordete Alfred Herrhausen/Who killed Alfred Herrhausen, 1997; Ground Zero New York, 2002) but he is also interested in ecological topics (Strom vom eigenen Dach: Sonnenenergie/Electricity from your own roof: solar energy, 1994) and general cultural phenomena (Volles Rohr: Kampfbahn Autobahn/Full throttle: racing arena Autobahn, 1992).
Paul Kohl does not give to much priority to himself or the results of his intense research, which he rather uses as the basis of his insistent questions. He unexcitedly renders statements and arguments into a precise language, carefully opposes them to counterarguments and arranges the outcome in a brilliant dramatic composition. The author never hides his own view on the subject. However, this careful arrangement of different elements still gives enough space for the listener to form his own opinion. Paul Kohl does not want to propagate the one and only right "truth", he rather tries to enlighten his audience with the help of information.
The "Axel Eggebrecht Prize" which remembers the Leipzig radio pioneer does not honour one particular program but a whole outstanding artwork in the field of German-speaking radio features and finds a deserved laureate in Paul Kohl: a stylist who never pushes himself to the fore but still remains perceptible and tangible as a person.
The jury had to work through a whole list of strong competitors. The extensive submissions of 9 candidates had to be considered, recommended by WDR, MDR (Central German Broadcasting), RBB, Swiss Radio and Television SRF and the Freie Akademie der Künste (Free Arts Academy) in Hamburg among others.
This year's "Axel-Eggebrecht-Prize" 2014 award ceremony will take place in a special setting. The "40th International Feature Conference" will take place in the "Media Campus Villa Ida", the seat of the Leipzig Sparkasse Foundations. The award ceremony will be held within the context of the conference on Wednesday, 14 May, 2014 on the Media Campus.
Current Laureates:
- 2008 : Helmut Kopetzky (Germany)
- 2010 : Richard Goll and Alfred Treiber (Austria)
- 2012: Friedrich Schütze-Quest (Germany)
- 2014: Paul Kohl (Germany)